As a two-way star at Rancho Buena Vista High, Ian Sluss was used to finding his way to the end zone, scoring more than 30 times in his career as a running back.

Once he reached college, the 6-foot, 220-pound Sluss was switched to defense full-time as a linebacker, and his days in the end zone ended.

Until this season.

A senior at Portland State, Sluss has scored three defensive touchdowns this season, all in the last three games. The first was a 52-yard interception return against Idaho State on Oct. 6. Two weeks ago, he scooped up a fumble against Cal Poly and raced 57 yards to a score.

On Saturday, Sluss was the defensive star as Portland State beat UC Davis 49-21. He recovered two fumbles and had a pair of interceptions against the Aggies. His second interception was a 31-yarder for a score, breaking UC Davis’ back.

“It has been kind of weird,” Sluss said. “I’d never scored on defense — high school or college — then it happens three (games) in row.

“I haven’t done anything special. I just took advantage of opportunities.”

Sluss had very few college opportunities after an All-San Diego Section career at RBV. He landed at NCAA Division III Redlands and flourished.

“I didn’t get a lot of looks out of high school, and Redlands felt comfortable,” Sluss said. “I put in a good two years there, really enjoyed it. But I had a burning in my stomach to play Division I football.”

So he left Redlands with the hope of making a two-level jump. He drew interest from several Big Sky Conference schools, including Sacramento State. Humboldt State and UC Davis were interested, too.

“But Portland State offered me a fair opportunity,” Sluss said.

Though the switch has “worked out great,” it wasn’t easy. Sluss had to sit out a season in accordance with NCAA rules.

So he came home, worked and trained, waiting for his opportunity. Along the way, he said, he had the total support of his family, which includes brother Shane, an Army Ranger who has done three tours of duty, and sister Erika, who played softball at LSU and is now a high school teacher in Louisiana.

“We run a gap 4-3 defense here that gives the linebackers a lot of freedom,” Sluss said. “At Redlands, we ran a 3-3-5, similar to what San Diego State runs.

“I play with my hair on fire on Saturdays. I love to make big plays, and this defense allows me to shoot gaps, fly around, make plays.”

And his numbers reflect that role. He has a team-leading 76 tackles (56 solo), 81/2 tackles for losses, two sacks, three pass breakups, four interceptions and four fumble recoveries. He leads the Big Sky in tackles.

“We need Ian,” Portland State linebackers coach Lester Towns said. “His leadership stands out. He’s very smart and makes the people around him better because he’s so smart.

“He knows how to move and is tough. He’s quick and strong, always working in the weight room.”

Sluss, however, isn’t tall, which means he doesn’t fit the NFL mold.

“I know size is a factor,” said Sluss, who is one quarter away from a degree in social science. “I’m totally focused on this season, but I’m still developing as a player. I want to develop my game. After the season, I’m going to train like a madman and see what happens.”

Football

• Defensive tackle Thomas Molesi (Oceanside) is redshirting at Portland State. Molesi signed with Oregon State out of high school but ended up at Arizona Western College in Yuma, where he was a junior college All-American.

• Portland State senior defensive backs Dean Faddis (Ramona/Palomar College) and Joel Sisler (Escondido) are out for the season because of injuries. Faddis has a broken foot. Sisler, who played four games and had 13 tackles and an interception this season, suffered a concussion.

• Cal Poly kicker Bobby Zalud (La Costa Canyon) was the Big Sky Conference special teams player of the week after kicking three field goals and four extra points, booting four of his eight kickoffs for touchbacks, and averaging 34 yards on three punts in a game against Portland State. Zalud, who transferred from Arkansas State, is 8-of-11 on field goals, has made all 37 of his PATs, and is averaging 40.9 yards on 30 punts.

• Nine North County players are on the roster at Western New Mexico. Senior Marquis Sumpter (Fallbrook) is the team’s leading receiver with 61 catches for 969 yards and 11 TDs. Kameron Drawhorn (Fallbrook) has 25 tackles and an interception and is averaging 41.0 yards as a punter. Terron Sumpter (Fallbrook) has 10 catches as a receiver and six tackles as a defender. Tyler Jackson (Ramona) has 18 carries for 87 yards. Tight end Brent Courtney (Carlsbad) has 16 receptions for 255 yards. David Vasquez (Oceanside), Eric Box (Ramona), Zachary Andrews (Rancho Bernardo) and Michael Coe (Carlsbad) are all offensive linemen.

Field hockey

• There are 10 North County players on a UC Davis team that finished second in the Western Division of the NorPac Conference and will face Longwood University in the conference tournament. Jamie Garcia (Fallbrook), Nadia Namdari (San Pasqual), Marissa Hughes (Rancho Buena Vista), Emily Mecke (San Dieguito), Amanda Marinac (Rancho Buena Vista) and Lydian Brambilia (Fallbrook) are all starters. Maggie Barry (San Dieguito), Hannah Drawbridge (La Costa Canyon) and Linnea Whitney (Westview) are key reserves.

Women’s soccer

• Devon Delarosa (Rancho Bernardo), a senior midfielder at San Jose State, was honored last week after her final home match for the Spartans. She has eight goals and 10 assists in 91 career matches, including two goals in a 2010 NCAA tournament win over Arizona State.

• Hannah Sanders (Valley Center) has cracked the starting lineup as a freshman at Long Beach State. She had an assist in a win over USD and scored her first college goal against Cal State Fullerton.

• Marrina Meyers (Rancho Buena Vista) is the starting goalie as a freshman for Long Beach State. She has 79 saves and has allowed 21 goals for a team that is 12-8.

• Jordan Bruce (Westview) has played 18 games with 15 starts for San Jose State, while Jenna Pellegrino has played in 16 games with four starts.

• Natalie Sun (Santa Fe Christian) leads Azusa Pacific with six goals and two assists. A senior, she has 31 career goals for the Tigers.

• Amanda Hardy (Westview) has played in 17 games, starting four, with four assists for Azusa Pacific. Shannon Hardy (Westview) has played in 11 games with a goal and an assist.

• Victoria Adelhelm (Santa Fe Christian), a senior middle blocker at No. 23 Pepperdine, is second on the team with 195 kills and leads the team with 101 blocks. She has 424 career blocks to rank second in school history. Sophomore Samantha Cash (Canyon Crest Academy) has 120 kills and 48 blocks for the Waves.

• Morgan Cormier (Cathedral Catholic) has 99 blocks and 39 kills as a freshman at North Carolina State, which boasts a 19-5 record.